Estes Park Opinion

What Lot 4 is really worth

Posted:
02/06/2014 06:17:22 PM MST

All that voters in this April's election need to ask themselves is whether or not a vacant and unused piece of land immediately adjacent to a shopping center is worth $20,000,000. That's right— $20,000,000. As I have stated in a previous letter, this is the amount of revenue that turning Lot 4 into open space will cost the Community Wellness Center, the Estes Park Medical Center, Visit Estes Park, and the Town of Estes Park Town over the next 10 years. This $20,000,000 is, in fact, an extremely conservative figure. No adjustments have been made for inflation. No increases have been included for predictable market growth in the medical wellness industry. Nothing has been added to account for the 50 full-time equivalent jobs that the EPMC/Anschutz Wellness Center will create. And, finally, none of the standard economic impact multipliers used in determining return on investment have been factored in.

And where does the $20,000,000 in lost revenue number come from? It has not been manufactured, as some would like you to believe. It comes from statements made by responsible public officials in open, community meetings. Their statements are a matter of public record. To claim otherwise is to willfully ignore that record, and question the professional integrity of these officials.

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The loss in $20,000,000 of anticipated revenue would be serious blow for any community. But for Estes Park, given recent events and huge bills still to pay, it would be staggering. Where is that money to come from unless our community is willing to allow the investment from sectors such as EPMC and Grand Heritage to make those kinds of investments in ways that protect and enhance our present quality of life and responsibly build toward a better and brighter future?

Being a responsible voter means understanding the facts and using those facts to determine what is in the best interest of our community. Consider; then vote 'no' on the Lot 4 open space referendum.

Greg Rosener

Estes Park

Lot 4 contract violates Stanley Historic District guidelines

The Town Board of Estes Park recently approved a contract to sell town-owned Lot 4 (6.8 acres adjacent to the Stanley Hotel property) to the Grand Heritage Corporation which owns the Stanley Hotel. The contract contains three contingencies, all of which violate both the letter and the spirit of agreements made several decades ago to protect the majestic natural setting of the Stanley Hotel. The first contingency requires that the "no build" restriction on the western portion of Lot 4 be removed. The second requires that the zoning for Lot 4 be changed from Commercial Outlying to A-Accommodation. The third contingency requires the repeal of a town ordinance banning imitation of the colors and style of the historic Stanley Hotel. All three of these provisions were established to protect the unique historic architecture of the Stanley Hotel and its majestic natural setting.

In the 1980s and early 1990s a variety of shortsighted development schemes (e.g., an outlet mall on The Knoll above Town Hall and the library) were proposed for properties near Town Hall and the Stanley Hotel. In response to such ill-thought-out projects, a group of citizens put forward an initiative to ban all development on The Knoll and on the properties surrounding the Stanley Hotel. The Town was concerned understandably that such an extreme solution would violate property rights and impair the future economic viability of the Stanley Hotel. Consequently, the Town assured citizens that if the initiative were defeated the town would regulate future development to protect both the unique architecture of the Stanley Hotel and its majestic natural setting.

The establishment of the Stanley Historic District was a consequence of this compromise. The town (through EPURA) effected the purchase of The Knoll and placed a conservation easement on the property. The Town also purchased three Lots (5,6 and 8) adjacent to the Stanley Hotel property and later placed conservation easements on them as well to protect the natural setting of the hotel. Development on the remaining Lots was also restricted to ensure that the sightlines and natural setting of the Hotel would not be significantly impaired. The "no-build" restriction on the western portion of Lot 4 (which is adjacent to the conservation easements placed on Lots 5 & 6) was an important part of this plan to forever protect the majestic natural setting of the Hotel.

Although the separate Stanley Historic District Agreement was foolishly allowed to expire in 2009, the above three development restrictions still apply unless they are specifically repealed or changed by the Town Board. Since the Board has already, in effect, agreed to the changes by including them as contingencies in the contract they approved, it is unlikely that citizen input opposing the changes in required public hearing will have any effect on the Board's ultimate decision regarding the requested changes.

As one of the owners of the Stanley Hotel, John Cullen proposes not only to fill the "no build" portion of Lot 4 with a fifty-room hotel addition, he also proposes to clutter the open lawn in front of his Hotel (across from Lots 4, 5 and 6) with parking lots and additional buildings as part of his Stanley Hotel master plan. The consequence of all this development will be the destruction of the majestic natural setting of the Stanley Hotel (which is an absolutely essential complement to its architecture)...forever!

The deck is clearly stacked in favor of this proposal: it is supported not only by the current Town Board, it is also supported by The Economic Development Corporation; Partners for Commerce, Visit Estes Park, the Estes Park Trail Gazette, Governor Hickenlooper and the Estes Park Medical Center. The inspiration for the Lot 4 project is a luxury wellness center/extreme weight loss clinic touted by supporters as an economic stimulus/job creator for flood ravaged Estes Park. Not one of these supporting organizations has done proper due diligence (e.g., a professional independent feasibility study) to demonstrate the long-term economic viability of the wellness project. Sadly, the destruction of the majestic natural setting of the Stanley Hotel, which will affect visitors from throughout the state of Colorado and beyond, may ultimately be one of the most devastating impacts of the recent flood.

Eric Waples

Estes Park

A Letter of Gratitude from Lisa Foster

On March 17, 2013, my friend Dave Laurienti and I were involved in a climbing accident on Ypsilon Mountain (13,514 feet) in Rocky Mountain National Park. Tragically, Dave lost his life, and I was severely injured. I have spent the last ten months struggling to heal from this incident, both physically and emotionally. It has been a very difficult time and I'd like to thank my family, friends and community members for all their support, prayers and love.

I want to offer my sincere thanks to everyone who offered kind words, condolences, financial help, much-needed meals, cards, flowers, emotional support and more. The generosity extended to me, my family and the Laurienti family after the accident was incredible. None of your efforts went unnoticed or unappreciated, even though for many months I was unable to respond or communicate. Please accept my appreciation and know that I felt your care and love.

I would also like to thank everyone involved with the rescue efforts to help Dave and me after the accident, including Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue, Larimer County Search and Rescue, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, and Rocky Mountain Rescue. Additionally, key members of the local climbing community selflessly volunteered their time to help my husband search for us even before the official rescue was implemented. Every one of the people on the rescue teams put their lives on the line to help us. The skill and competency of the rescue was commendable, and the compassion, care and kindness of each and every rescuer will live in my heart forever.

The medical help I received from my doctors, nurses, therapists and other professionals in Estes Park and Greeley was world-class, and without it I would not be as far along in my healing process. Their expert, compassionate aid went above and beyond the normal call of duty, and that kind of support can only be administered by people who truly care. Thank you.

Dave Laurienti was a talented climber who made good decisions and did the best he could to preserve his own life and my life on our climb of Blitzen Ridge on Ypsilon Mountain last March. The tragic course of events that unfolded was a regrettable, disastrous and heartbreaking accident.

We set out to climb the route on Saturday, March 16 with a favorable weather forecast. We knew we would have reasonable temperatures (highs in the 30's F and lows in the 20's F), no wind, and lightly falling snow. We knew that the weather was supposed to turn bad on Sunday, with low temperatures and high winds in the afternoon, but we planned this as a single-day climb, and we did not anticipate being on the mountain when the weather changed. The route was complicated due to difficult snow and ice conditions on the rock, and much more time consuming than we anticipated. As night fell on March 16, we had to make a decision about whether to retreat via a potentially avalanche-prone gully located midway up the mountain or continue to the summit to access an uncomplicated but lengthy walk-off. We chose the latter but unfortunately got off-route due to darkness, inadvertently entering much more technical terrain, which drastically slowed our progress. We continued climbing through the night, and into the next day.

In the late afternoon of March 17, the winds increased so ferociously that continuing to the top to reach the non-technical walk-off ceased to be an option. We were forced to descend the steep and remote Northeast Couloir from a point only 200 vertical feet below the summit of Ypsilon Mountain. As we down-climbed, an avalanche barreled down from above, ripping us off the mountain and violently slamming us down the gully. We were roped together, and miraculously one of the two pieces of gear that we had placed between us arrested the fall after about 140 feet and prevented our immediate deaths.

The brutality of the avalanche left me with two broken ribs, a broken tailbone, a torn MCL, torn wrist ligaments and more. I developed severe frostbite on my hands from the length of time we were exposed to the elements. Dave had various superficial abrasions and swelling on his knee, but amazingly, he did not sustain significant traumatic physical injuries from the avalanche. However, the snow and ice from the slide completely penetrated his clothing and exacerbated the hypothermia that had been creeping in over the course of the previous 40+ hours of climbing in winter conditions.

We did our best to self-rescue, moving down into the Fay Lakes drainage before Dave could no longer continue. I tried to keep us moving, to summon help via cell phone (unfortunately we had no reception), and eventually to dig a snow shelter to shield us from the unrelenting winds. I tried to administer what medical care I could to my friend, and to comfort him in the face of the storm. Tragically, that Sunday night, mere hours after he miraculously survived the avalanche, Dave Laurienti succumbed to hypothermia in the upper Fay Lakes drainage of Rocky Mountain National Park. In his final moments, we reminisced about his wife and two children. He went peacefully and without pain, surrounded by the memory of his loving family. I stayed by his side all night.

By dawn on March 18 it became obvious that I had to start moving in an effort to save my own life. Visibility was low due to blowing snow, which caused me to fumble along a four-mile detour before I figured out my mistake and corrected my course. The only good thing that came out of that detour was that I discovered an open pocket in a creek, which allowed me to guzzle four liters of icy stream water, providing me with more strength to carry on. I continued to limp down the mountain, determined to hike out to communicate with Dave's family.

Almost 24 hours after my friend passed away in the remote location north of upper Fay Lake, I was intercepted by the official rescue cadre on the northeast shore of Ypsilon Lake. I was grateful to see the rescue team, many of them personal friends of mine. They evacuated me, contacted Dave's family and recovered Dave's body.

That was the saddest day of my life, and I will never fully recover from the pain of losing Dave. I am so grateful for his family's love and friendship and I am overwhelmed by their courage, strength and perseverance. They have suffered a terrible loss, and my heart will always ache for them. Dave's wife, Liesl Laurienti, is my good friend. She and I want Dave to be remembered for the wonderful person he was—a loving father, a devoted husband, a faithful friend, a kind, caring, good-natured individual and a strong, motivated and proficient climber.

On August 31, 2013, Bob Chase, a senior guide at the Colorado Mountain School, and I accomplished the "First Annual Dave Laurienti Memorial Climb of Blitzen Ridge." Bob is a long-time family friend of both my family and the Laurienti's. It is our hope that each summer, a small band of experienced, qualified and capable climbers from the Front Range and from around the globe will join us in undertaking a safety-conscious, summer climb of Blitzen Ridge in honor of Dave Laurienti. In this way, Dave's name will live on in the climbing community, reminding us of his skill, his motivation and his love for these mountains.

Thank you, each and every one of you, for your care and concern. I miss Dave terribly, and I am grateful for every prayer, kind word and act of kindness toward me and Liesl and our families. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

God bless you all, and God bless Dave Laurienti.

Lisa Foster

Estes Park

Is America still the Home of the Brave and the Land of the Free?

The Present Policy of Open Borders is rapidly turning America into the home of the criminal and the land of the terrorist! Are we helpless to stop the flow?

Phyllis Schlafly's January newsletter informs us of the following criminal conspiracy.

1. The FBI now admits that dozens of terrorist bomb makers were among the 70,000 Iraqis admitted to the U.S. as war refugees.

2. The ruse used by illegals seeking asylum consists of two magic words, "Credible Fear". "Credible Fear" applications have increased from 5,000 to 36,000 in 2013.

3. The U. S. Border Patrol reported a surge of unaccompanied children who have crossed the border that have been housed in federally funded U.S. Care Centers. The numbers have soared in 2013 to 24,668 from half that number in 2012, and have quadrupled the number from previous years. Representative Steve King (R.- IA) commented that some of these children were "hauling back packs weighing 75 pounds of marijuana." Bob Goodlatte, reported a woman who was admitted to the U. S. by pleading "Credible Fear", was caught three months later at a check point with more than one million dollar's worth of cocaine.

4. Federal Judge Andrews Hanen of Texas accused the Department of Homeland Security of violating the border security of the U.S and "assisting a criminal conspiracy in achieving its illegal goals." Furthermore he accused, "the government of "completing the criminal mission" of human traffickers "who are violating the Border Security of the United States." The Judge called the Administration's behavior "dangerous and unconscionable." Does not the very title of this department--- Department of Homeland Security - indicate its role is to keep America safe?

Give voice to your feelings call Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Bob Goodlatte (R.VA) at 202-225-3951 and Representative Jared Polis at 202-225-2161.

Sylvia Vrabec

Estes Park

EVPC backs Anschutz project

Open Letter of Endorsement for the EPMC/Anschutz Wellness Training Center

In October, 2013 the Board of Directors of the Estes Valley Partners for Commerce (EVPC) took action on endorsing the EPMC/Anschutz Wellness Training Center after presentations and discussions concerning the proposed project on Lot 4. This letter is to restate and reinforce that endorsement.

After much consideration of this concept, we feel that it will have a long term positive impact on the vitality of our community and begins to address many of the challenges recently identified by the Estes Park Economic Development Corporation, including employer attraction, year-round employment and workforce development, as well very specific enhancements and financial benefits to our extremely important medical infrastructure (including, but not limited to, the Estes Park Medical Center.

Therefore, with the understanding of the economic and financial benefits to our community, the Board of Directors of the Estes Valley Partners for Commerce fully endorses the EPMC/Anschutz Wellness Training Center and would ask the voters of Estes Park to vote yes to the sale of Lot 4 for the purposes of developing this project, as stated on the Town of Estes Park ballot issue this coming April 1, 2014.

Very truly yours,

Diane Muno

President Estes Valley Partners For Commerce

Looking forward

We are 21 year residents of Estes Park and are retired medical professionals, writing in support of development of the EPMC/Anschutz Wellness center in Estes Park. Recently we visited the Anschutz Wellness Center in Aurora. We came away with a glimpse of the opportunity that Estes Park has to be an outreach of that program which is at the forefront of wellness medicine (the way of the future in medical care). A program such as this will benefit research in the area of wellness, while at the same time bringing in more jobs, more money and more services to Estes Park through marketing to individuals and groups around the world.

The proposed EPMC/Anschutz Wellness Center will provide services for a variety of individuals with different goals and needs. It will address not only those with weight concerns, but those who are interested in a better quality of life no matter the status of their health or fitness. It will attract elite athletes looking for opportunities to increase their fitness level at high altitude as well as provide the opportunity for research related to high altitude issues.

Personally, our concern is for our medical center. One of the factors in our decision to stay in Estes Park after retirement was the availability of medical services at EPMC. The focus of medical care and the funding for it is changing. The medical center is seeing a decline in reimbursement and must rethink and add services to stay financially viable. If we want to continue to have the present services available at EPMC, they must add new revenue sources. This wellness center will provide increased staff to EPMC and increase the net operating income projected for EPMC.

We urge your support for the EPMC/Anschutz Wellness Center through your vote FOR the sale of Lot 4, and against placing Lot 4 under conservation easement.

John Cooper, MD, Dona Cooper, PT

Estes Park

What we don't know regarding the sale of Lot 4

What We Don't Know Regarding the Sale of Lot 4

Cash: There have been many letters to the editor lately showering praise on the benefits of the sale of Lot 4 for an expansion of the Stanley Hotel and potential Anschutz Wellness Center. However, most of these letters have been written by lobbyists for the project. As citizens of Estes Park, we need to hear specifics regarding the involvement of the Estes Park Medical Center, including how they intend to raise the $5, 000,000 to build the proposed wellness center. More importantly, we as tax payers that help fund the hospital, need specifics concerning actual projected cash that the hospital will spend up front, as well as the proposed cash flow generated from the "wellness" center after 2016. A recent letter in the Gazette from the spouse of the principal lobbyist for the project stated that, "The Estes Park Medical Center will flourish from the new revenue stream of the EPMC/Anschutz Wellness Training Center." Really? Citizens, beware of statements made by individuals financially connected to a service that is largely financed as a public taxing district. This is an important issue; voters need to consider information in a business plan generated not by lobbyists, but by the EPMC administration. Where will the five million dollars raised for the wellness center by 2016 come from? During a public presentation given by the hospital, a response to this question indicated that the money may come from the same donors that sponsor the main mission of the hospital as a critical care center. Estes Park is in part, a retirement community. Letters have claimed that the hospital will gain a cash flow from wellness to the tune of $200,000 per year. What study documents this claim? Critical care service and family medicine is essential to the citizens of Estes Park, and we need information instead of rhetoric that this critical mission will not be compromised in the face of a proposed diversification into the wellness business. This is our hospital that we help support as a taxing district. We need specific answers and a realistic budget to see how much this new direction for the hospital will cost. Will this jeopardize the financial stability of our critical patient care, as dollars are re-directed to a new venture that really doesn't require physician specialists? It also seems illogical to claim that great tax flow will come to Estes, given that all wellness services provided will be tax exempt. Only the initial Stanley Hotel 50 room expansion will generate taxes for the Town. The hotel rooms that will provide sales tax revenue could be built on land already owned by the hotel.

Jobs: Another major claim made by the proponents of the wellness center is the large number of jobs that will come to Estes Park, supporting an influx of families. Really? Here we need further clarification as well. Proponent letters have stated that there will be 55 initial jobs provided by the Stanley Hotel expansion. The word "initial" needs clarification. Are these jobs for construction workers to build the hotel? Initially, John Cullen promised that all construction jobs would go to people from Estes Park. This is not realistic, since the scope of the heavy steel and framing jobs require large contractors employing workers trained in completing such large buildings. Once constructed, how many high paying jobs will be generated from the cleaning and service staff for the 50 hotel rooms? If the EPMC builds the wellness center, exactly how many new high paying jobs will be generated? The hospital administration should know, but they have not defined the numbers or job descriptions of the professional medical staff they will need. The current plan calls for physician quarters at the wellness center. Sounds like most of the highly paid medical staff will be temporary and come from outside Estes Park, not from current or new resident physicians/physical therapy professionals.

Town Spending: Proponents claim that construction of the hotel expansion and wellness center will provide the influx of cash to the Town that will enable us to recover expenses incurred from the flood. Certainly it will help. However, tax payers need a more complete explanation of the Town's current cash flow and debt. Often, when cash flows into government, it flows out again very quickly, as in the example of the $7.5 million dollar Multi-Purpose Event Center project that has been mortgaged by the Town without a public vote. That's a cash flow impact that is competing with other needed projects such as road repair. Proposed projects involving public property or our taxing districts need to be examined very carefully by voters. Sound financial planning needs to be made by the sponsors and the information provided to voters. Transparency has been requested regarding the finances around the wellness center justifying the sale of Lot 4. Detail has not been provided other than the sales proceeds from the lot.

Uncurbed New Construction: Proponents for the sale of Lot 4 have also tried to belittle the important role that undeveloped land within Town limits plays in terms of providing buffers from the constant construction of condos in Town. They sarcastically refer to the open space in RMNP and other federally owned property outside of Town. In the near future, we will see commercial or condominium construction, perhaps on Lot 4, and certainly on private vacant lots located at South St. Vrain, adjacent to Lexington Lane, and in the large open meadow on Moraine Avenue adjacent to the large Fall River condominium complex. The Town will not consider developing a prospective plan for selling/retaining any of Town-owned vacant land that belongs to the voters. By default, they will wait until developers come in and demand project space that will build on most of the vacant parcel, or require other publically owned resources such as parking spaces, to complete their vision. Our citizen group is not attempting stop all progress in Estes Park. Many voters have a different view of "progress" than do developers. In addition to being an attractive retirement destination, our main business is tourism. Tourists come here for the same reasons most residents did; the mountain character of the Town that includes at least some open views across meadows that allow wildlife viewing. If we are going to accept the economic will of realtors and developers that eliminate these areas forever, we as tax payers need to have transparency regarding the financials involved with projects that propose to sell our land and impact the stability of our taxing districts. In the case of the sale of Lot 4, such specific information needs to come from the Estes Park Medical Center Administration, not from paid lobbyists. In this way, voters will be informed by April 1, 2014, to cast their vote to decide this important issue.

Ed Hayek, Tom Gootz, Don Sellers, Friends of Lot 4

An issue committee registered with the Town of Estes Park

Concern over lack of facts to back up claims

As an interested citizen trying to decide how to vote on the proposed sale of the town-owned Lot 4 to John Cullen, owner of the Stanley Hotel, I have read recent letters and advertisements in local newspapers with concern and disbelief. In support of the proposed wellness center to be built on Lot 4 proponents are pulling numbers for potential tax revenue, jobs, benefits and costs out of thin air. These "Facts" are based entirely upon the blind assumption that the wellness center will be a roaring success; a very dangerous bet in the highly competitive market of luxury wellness spas.

In modern times, responsible organizations and individuals do not invest millions of dollars on blind assumptions. Ideas for new business ventures are accompanied by business plans and feasibility studies, such as those currently being done by our Parks and Rec District for the proposed Community Recreation Center. Wikipedia describes these plans and studies as formal statements of "...business goals, the reasons they are believed attainable and the plan for reaching those goals." They are "...based on extensive investigation and research..." to serve as "...decision making tools..." and are usually conducted by independent, experienced organizations to lend credibility and validity to the final product. These plans and studies are then presented to potential investors.

In the case of the proposed wellness center at the Stanley Hotel, the people of Estes Park are the investors. We are being asked to hand over precious, town-owned, vacant land and thereby place our stamp of approval on the diversion of millions of dollars raised by the Estes Park Medical Center Foundation.; all this in order to build a luxury wellness center at a private hotel intended to benefit a handful of wealthy people from out-of-town. And, we are being asked to do this without any evidence that the project will succeed. As a reality check, is there a bank anywhere in the world that would loan money based on this kind of speculation? Should the people of Estes Park support this gamble? Should the Stanley wellness center fail to support itself, as the Anschutz Wellness Center at the University of Colorado has failed to do, who will be called upon to subsidize this fantasy? Will it be the residents of Estes Park or our local hospital?

What is the likelihood of success of the proposed wellness center? Without a shred of objective, well-researched supporting information we are left to apply simple, common sense to answer this question. Most of the competing, luxury wellness centers are located in warm, winter vacation destinations like Florida, Arizona and southern California. If you were a business executive in Chicago, looking for a healthful, relaxing retreat in February, where would you go?

Supporters of the Stanley wellness center speculate about possible financial benefits to our town. All we know for certain is this: On April 1, if voters approve the sale of Lot 4, the town will receive about $1 million. Two years later there will be an additional, smaller payment, the magnitude of which depends on whether the Estes Park Medical Center Foundation manages to raise five million dollars to build the wellness center. The initial payment represents 2.3% of the Town's proposed 2014 budget. Our Town Administrator, Frank Lancaster, has estimated a need for $1.2 million every year for basic road maintenance alone. The sale of Lot 4 is clearly not a cure-all for our Town's financial problems.

Over the next two months the citizens of Estes Park will be exposed to a very expensive barrage of advertising. Thousands of dollars and many hours will be spent by Mr. Cullen, the Estes Park Medical Center and other supporters on ads, mailings, meetings and, I'm told, free bus trips to Denver to visit a wellness facility at the CU medical center. In the face of this well-funded campaign we must all remember that a bad idea dressed in nice clothes is still just a bad idea.

The costs to our community of pursuing the wellness center are significant. Fabricating optimistic numbers to support this project does not contribute to a healthy debate. In the complete absence of formal, third-party studies that examine the viability and potential costs/ benefits of this project the only rational, conservative choice is to vote NO on the proposal to sell Lot 4 to John Cullen, owner of the Stanley Hotel

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